Taking Chances
by tazduffy
Summary: Everyone would like to go back in time and change something if they could. When Rachel Berry gets the opportunity to do just that can she go back and save a life?  Rated M for possible future chapters
1. Blast to the Past

When Rachel Berry first received the news she wasn't sure how to react. It wasn't as if the two had been _friends_ exactly, although they had occasionally talked during the four years of high school that they shared together and had become Facebook friends post-graduation. So, when she saw the news on Facebook that was inviting all friends to the ceremony she wasn't quite sure what her answer would be. Attending, Not Attending, Maybe Attending?

Rachel hesitated for a second longer before moving her mouth pointer over Attending and clicking it. The drive back to Lima, Ohio, would be long but she knew if she didn't go then she might regret it later.

So that is why three days later Rachel Berry arrived in the small town that she had once vowed never to return to. All because of _him_. The next day felt like it was going in slow motion as she slipped on her dress and fixed her hair before getting in her car and driving to the only church in Lima.

Rachel watched as people piled inside the church while she pretended to fix her shoe. Maybe she shouldn't be here. Rachel took a deep breath and forced herself inside, finding a seat near the back by herself.

The ceremony passed rather quickly. People stood and made their way to the front, telling stories while some laughed and others cried, there was a slide show, and then a lovely slow song while everyone stood and made their way outdoors. It was only when the workers at the church lowered the casket into the ground that Rachel felt a lump rising into her throat. His headstone was beautiful, simple, and elegant. Rachel stood there like a statue as everyone paid their respects and finally left, leaving her there staring down and all alone. She slid off her heels and ventured forwards, stopping at his gravestone and sliding down to the ground in front of it.

**Finn Hudson**

**Wonderful son, amazing person**

**Rest with the angels**

Rachel traced his name with her fingertips and finally let the tears slide down her cheeks and onto the cold stone beneath her.

"Excuse me, miss?"

Rachel jerked up and wiped frantically at her eyes as she looked up at the older man who was wearing a top hat with a strange coin in it. "Yes?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." He apologized, glancing down at the headstone. "Was he your boyfriend?"

"Umm, no, no he wasn't." Rachel mumbled, "I wanted him to be in high school but… it never happened."

"Why not?"

Rachel blinked down at the headstone she was still touching, remembering it as if it were yesterday. It had been after Mr. Schue had informed them that he was leaving because his wife was pregnant.

"_Look, I should go. I can't do glee anymore, it conflicts with-"_

"_Your reputation?" Rachel interrupted, "You've really got something Finn, and you're throwing it all away."_

"_I-I'm gonna be late."_

"_You can't keep worrying about what people think, Finn. You're better than all of them."_

Rachel shook her head as if to rid herself of the memory, "He never came back to glee like I hoped he would. Maybe I could have tried a little harder to get him to come back, maybe if he had then things would be different now…but its not exactly like I can go back and change the past now so there's no use in thinking about it."

"Do you really think you would be able to make a difference?" the man asked, his eyes shining strangely as he leaned forward.

Rachel felt almost mesmerized by this stranger, "Yes. I do."

The man nodded and flashed her a crooked smile before jumping forward and latching onto her upper arm. Rachel opened her mouth to scream but before she could her whole world went dark.

* * *

><p>"You're better than all of them." Rachel blurted out and then blinked, looking up in amazement at the tall handsome boy in front of her who looked at her with both a guilty and annoyed expression. <em>What the hell?<em>

Rachel frowned and looked around her, instantly recognizing the halls of McKinley High. "Finn?"

Finn sighed and rolled his eyes at her, "I'm sorry Rachel, I don't mean to let you down but I just _can't_ be in glee anymore!"

Was this some kind of joke? Oh my gosh, that guy must have knocked her out and now she was having a very vivid dream. She was going to sue the hell out of that man when she woke up!

Rachel watched as Finn turned and began to walk away, wanting to call out to him or tackle him to the floor. Something. Anything. Instead she just stood there and watched him disappear around the corner, knowing that it wouldn't matter either way what she did. Time travel wasn't real, _this_ wasn't real…but what if it was?

She took a breath and took off at a full run. She _was_ going to save Finn Hudson's life, she was going to take a chance.


	2. Tears Work Best

**Here's chapter two! I'm trying to upload as fast as I can but I am a full time student so that is my first priority. Please review!**

Rachel had been in the past for almost a week already and still she had no success in talking Finn Hudson into returning to Glee. Now whenever he saw her in the hallway he froze and took off in the other direction, she was going to have to start being sneaky just so she could corner him and force him to talk to her. She really hadn't believed that this would be so hard! Now she was just gonna have to _make_ it happen.

"Ms. Mayberry? Can I ask you for a favor?" Rachel asked, having arrived in the classroom before everyone else.

The dark haired woman smiled up at her from behind the desk, "What is it Rachel?"

She gave her a worried smile, "Its just that…my partner and I aren't exactly working well together. I was hoping you would let me switch?"

Ms. Mayberry pondered for a moment, "Well, I suppose that will be okay, how about Mr. Puck-"

"Finn Hudson." Rachel blurted out and then blushed.

Ms. Mayberry raised a brow at her and smiled, "I'll make it happen."

"Thank you so much!" Rachel grinned, almost skipping to the table she sat at, grinning in victory. Now he would _have_ to talk to her. She pulled out her book and a notebook and began to write definitions so when Finn walked in she wouldn't be staring and grinning in triumph.

She forced herself to continue writing when he took his seat next to her and opened his own book, "Hee-ey Rachel."

Rachel finally looked up from her notebook, "Hello, Finn."

He gave her his famously cute little half smile, "I guess I'm going to be your new partner in this class, Ms. Mayberry thinks Puck and I are too dangerous together so she switched me to you."

Rachel could seriously hug her teacher right now, "Ah, I see."

He nodded and stared down at his blank notebook until Rachel got the nerve to speak. "Okay Finn, I know you've been avoiding me-"

"No I haven-"

"-and I know why but I just _really _think that the Glee club would be an amazing opportunity for you. I mean, did you know that the more extracurricular activities you do the more scholarships for college you can receive? It will also give you the opportunity to-"

"Rachel, Rachel, stop." He interrupted, holding his hands up. "You don't understand, if I go back to glee the guys on the football team are going to make my life hell. I'm popular, glee is the postural opposite-"

"Polar."

"-of that. I'm really sorry but I just… can't."

He turned away and Rachel inwardly sighed in frustration. She had spent the last week either thinking of ways to get him to come back to glee or stalking him like a psychopath so she could try and talk him into a return.

Stupid Jacob has taken pictures of her chasing him down the hall the other day and posted it on his blog – now everyone thought it would be funny to start chasing her to class. She could kill that boy!

* * *

><p>"<em>So talk to me, talk to me,<br>Like lovers do.  
>Yeah walk with me, walk with me,<br>Like lovers do,  
>Like lovers do.<em>

_What do you say to taking chances,_  
><em>What do you say to jumping off the edge?<em>  
><em>Never knowing if there's solid ground below<em>  
><em>Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,<em>  
><em>What do you say,<em>  
><em>What do you say?<em>

_Don't know much about your life_  
><em>Don't know much about your world."<em>

Rachel closed her eyes and smiled, loving the feeling that she got whenever she got on stage – audience or not. Sadly, since Finn had left glee club and hadn't come back the possibility of getting more members had vanished and Mr. Schue had to shut down the club. Of course she had petitioned to get it back but had only gotten five signatures in remainder of her high school life.

When she finally opened her eyes her heart jumped into her throat when she noticed him sitting in one of the auditorium seats, watching her. How long had he been there?

Rachel fidgeted with the hem of her dress before making her way down the stage steps and took a seat beside him, tilting her head back to look up at him. "I didn't know you were in here."

Finn scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, I was just walking by and heard you."

She nodded looked down at her hands, the two of them fell into an awkward silence for what seemed like ages. When Rachel finally looked up at him to break the silence, she found him staring down at her with the oddest expression on his face, "W-what?"

His cheeks got a slight red tint to them and he smiled, "Its just…you just _belong_ on stage. You should audition for Broadway or something."

Rachel laughed, "Yeah, I tried that for a few years after high school but it just never –" she stopped when she saw the confusion on his face. "Oh- I mean, I'm _going_ to try after high school ."

He easily let her error slip from his mind and smiled back at her, "I bet you'll make it big, one day I'll see your picture on those big signs. I can tell all my friends that I use to know you."

Rachel forced a smile and looked back at the stage, sighing and leaning forward in her chair to rest her elbows on her knees so that she could hide her face in her hands. It was just too much, Rachel let out a shaky sigh before she began to cry. If she had seen Finn's look of horror she probably would have started cracking up because he looked seriously panicked. After he got a little control he reached out and rubbed her back in a soothing manner, or what he thought was soothing, in reality his large awkward hands were pressing on her a tad bit too rough. None the less it still managed to give her the feeling of butterflies in her stomach.

"Rach, no, don't cry!" his voice cracked and he pulled her against his chest, patting the top of her head a few times before resting it there. "Why are you crying?"

Rachel sniffled and let out a few more tears, "Its just… do you know how _hard _it is to get into a good school for the arts without having any experience in a glee club while in high school? Its _impossible_."

Finn's rubbing slowed down and then stopped before he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back so that he could look her in the eyes, "What if…I join it just for a short time and maybe then more people will join and then I can just quit when you have enough people?"

Rachel beamed through her tears, "Oh Finn, would you really do that for me? I don't want you to feel forced."

"No, no I am volunteering this." He smiled softly at her, "Just please stop crying."

Rachel let out a small laugh and wiped her tear streaked cheeks before squealing and throwing her arms around his neck in a big hug. "Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"

Finn laughed and pulled away from her, "I have to get to football practice, if I'm late then practice will be a living hell."

"Okay, I guess I will see you tomorrow?"

"Definitely." He nodded and sent her another smile before leaving the auditorium.

Rachel watched him leave and listened to make sure his footsteps were retreating down the hallway before she sat back in the seat she was occupying and let her smile sneak across her face. Oh Finn. She could have laughed at how eager he was to get her to stop crying, it was only too easy for her to trick him into feeling bad and offering to come back to glee. Should she feel bad for tricking him? Maybe. Did she? Maybe, but she did it anyway. Finally her talent of crying on command had been put to good use!

Finn was coming back to glee – but was that enough to change the future and possibly save him from an untimely death? Rachel was willing to do whatever she could to make sure that very thing would not happen again.


End file.
